Will some other type of caster wheels work?

April 25, 2015 11:18 AM

I have a Metro shelving unit from the Container Store that needs wheels. The casters they sell are really expensive. Will another brand of caster work? Needless to say, I don't have a lot of experience with hardware. Thanks!
posted by 2soxy4mypuppet to Home & Garden (7 answers total)

Assuming that all "made for Metro" casters will work, these look to be about half that price. Might want to double check the inside diameter of the tube with the size of the stem on the caster.
posted by rhizome at 11:33 AM on April 25, 2015

Some casters are made better than others, but if you have the right size, there should be zero problem using the casters that fit your budget. I recommend checking them out before buying to make sure they are made with hard steel overall, and check that the brakes are not flimsy.
posted by jbenben at 11:52 AM on April 25, 2015

Yes, any casters for metro-style wire shelving should work. Here is a set that I have used at about half the price. Good quality casters are not going to be super-cheap.
posted by ssg at 12:06 PM on April 25, 2015

Also be aware that installing the type of casters that fit tightly inside the upright requires removing the levelling feet, which may not be easy. As an alternative, you can just flip the posts over and remove the plastic caps. I think the threaded style of caster will fit in the levelling feet, but won't be as strong, but I have no direct experience with those.
posted by ssg at 12:16 PM on April 25, 2015

You'd have to be pretty lucky to find castors not meant for the specific unit that fit properly. There are a lot of dimensions that need to be identical for them to fit and operate correctly. Even if you have to pay a bit more, I wouldn't recommend buying 'generic' items here. Those that are marked as 'made for x' should be OK though.
posted by dg at 6:20 PM on April 25, 2015

Just keep an eye on the weight limits. The metro shelves are usually rated to hold a ridiculous amount of weight, like 2000lbs so the castors are designed to handle that. The off brand ones seem to have lower limits (300-900 lbs).
posted by saradarlin at 7:08 PM on April 25, 2015

Depending on where you are, there are whole stores dedicated to casters, wheels, nuts and bolts. It should be easy to find the right diameter top bolt, and the right length for stability, and the proper load bearing. The workers in these shops can give good advice, especially if you havea good technical desciption of the shelving.
posted by Oyéah at 10:55 PM on April 25, 2015 [1 favorite]